Broken Angel
by InLoveWithLaughing
Summary: After a marriage proposal from Lorcan Scamander, Lily Luna decided to run away and leave her family behind, thinking she can make it on her own. Six months later Scorpius Malfoy finds her, selling her body on the street. ON HOLD
1. Chapter 1

For the _Not For The Faint of Heart Competition _and _Uncommon Pairing Multichapter Competition _on the_ HPFC Forum _

Description: After a marriage proposal from Lorcan Scamander, Lily Luna decided to run away and leave her family behind, thinking she can make it on her own. Six months later Scorpius Malfoy finds her, selling her body on the street.

Rating: T-M

_Disclaimer: I still don't own Harry Potter, nor do I own any peanut butter, so I had to have plain toast last night and it was sad. _

_**Warning: Prostitution.**_

* * *

_Lorcan down on one knee._

_Her family all grinning madly._

_He was so confident of her answer._

_They all expected her to say yes._

_All the pressure, all the expectations._

_All the Potters marry young._

_Her mumbled answer._

_She ran._

She was no longer running, but driving madly through London. She swerved in and out of vehicles, hidden by the Invisibility Booster granddad had fitted last spring. The Potters were notoriously bad drivers, nobody ever bothered to find out she, Lily, was a great driver.

She charged into the muggle hair dressers and gasped out that she needed a haircut. The woman behind the counter frowned and told her she needed an appointment.

"I'll pay you double, triple!"

The woman talked for a moment with the man next to her in a hushed voice. They both glanced at Lily, the man shrugged and the woman turned back to Lily with a pleasant smile.

"What can I do for you?" She said once Lily was seated in front of a mirror.

Lily looked at her reflection. Her face was pale, making her freckles stand out sharply against her face. Her eyes were wide and half wild. Her red hair fell down her back, flat and lifeless.

"Cut it off," She said, "Cut it all off. And blonde. I want to be blonde."

OoO

Scorpius Malfoy stared at his office wall, thinking through the last sentence he had written and trying to figure out if it made any sense. That morning he and Percival Smith had badly injured two witches in self-defence, and he had been left to complete the paper work, as usual. Only seven more months, he told himself, seven months until I get another partner who might actually bother to help me with the hard work.

The words jumbled around in his head, mixing and merging until it was too much effort to try and straighten them out. He glanced at the round wooden clock on his wall just as the little hand moved to twelve. With a groan he let his pounding head fall into his hands, ignoring the way his spine protested being bent further over.

With a sigh of defeat he swept the remaining work into a folder, shoved it into a draw and pulled on his cloak. There was a small knock at his door and he looked up to see Rose standing in the doorway.

"Aren't you supposed to be at The Big Proposal?" He said, his voice only a little condescending.

Rose frowned and her lips thinned, and she said, "I was, Lily ran out after she answered though. We can't find her anywhere."

"What am I supposed to do about it?" Scorpius said.

Rose's lips thinned even further and her voice was sharp when she said, "Help find her, maybe."

"I don't care where she is."

It was true, Scorpius had never given much thought to the youngest Potter. He rarely noticed her; she was a plain, red shadow, always hidden behind bolder, sexier girls.

"But you care about Albus and me, and we care about her."

"I'm not going on a wild goose chase after your cousin," Scorpius said, "She'll probably be back tomorrow anyway."

Rose made a sound somewhere between a huff and a growl before storming off. Scorpius shrugged to himself, she'd be back tomorrow as well. Still, best not go back home for a couple of hours. Give her time to regret and remove the curse she was sure to put on his bed. He vaguely thought about going to crash at the Manor, but he knew his father would be furious if he woke him so late. Or early. Whatever.

Well, he'd had a long day, he might as well treat himself. He left the ministry and apparated to Godric's Hollow. Knockturn Alley would have been easier, but it was more likely the women there were all disguised hags than not. All the classy ladies picked a corner at Godric's Hollow.

OoO

_Very nice._

Scorpius let himself gaze at the beauty before him. She leant back casually, one foot against the wall behind her. Her dark skin was shown to perfection in short-shorts and a vest top. Her shiny black hair fell down to her gorgeous bottom and a cowboy hat perched on her head.

"Hello," Scorpius said as he approached.

Jennifer glanced up and said, "Evening, Benjamin."

Benjamin was the name Scorpius went by with this particular woman.

"Waiting for anyone in particular, Jen?" Scorpius said, leaning against the wall next to her.

"Waiting for the man who has the galleons," Jen said.

Scorpius pulled three gold coins out of his pocket and handed them to her. Her lips curved into a smile and she took his hand and led him to her house. Scorpius liked Jen, unlike most of the women he saw she had only one rule: don't stay the night. This didn't bother Scorpius, he couldn't sleep anywhere but his own home anyway.

Once they were in her room, Jen began kissing Scorpius. She kissed down his neck and began to undo his shirt slowly, teasingly.

"The usual?" She murmured against his throat.

"No foreplay tonight," Scorpius said.

Jen paused as her lips reached his shoulder, and said, "Hard day at work?"

Scorpius grabbed her hips and pushed her onto the bed a little more roughly than he'd intended.

"I came for sex, Jennifer, not for a heart-to-heart."

Scorpius stripped and Jennifer did the same, looking vaguely annoyed at his rough handling. He took a couple of deep breaths before he joined her in the bed, knowing he wouldn't be able to enjoy it if he were angry.

He wasn't sure he enjoyed much it anyway. They lay next to each later, both breathing heavily and damp with sweat, but Scorpius was bored. So was Jen, but she was always bored. The silver clock on the bedside table rang suddenly.

"You've got to go, I've got a client coming in ten minutes," Jen said.

Scorpius got up silently and began to dress. Opposite him Jen did the same.

"Want me to book you an appointment?" She said once they were both fully dressed, "I'm pretty busy in the next month so you might not get a night otherwise."

Scorpius shook his head and said, "I'm tired of you now."

Jen didn't look offended. "Whatever."

"How about a night next week with your friend, what's her name? Mary?"

"_Marie_," Jen said, "and she's moved out. Gone to London, or something."

"When's someone else moving in?"

"When I find a girl in need of some cash. Tell you what, I'll owl you when I find someone."

Scorpius left. He apparated straight into his own bedroom. It was all so familiar. Bare, white walls, large bed, white covers. It was all so boring. He stripped for the second time that night and climbed between his cool sheets. The lights were off with a flick of his wand and he was asleep.

OoO

"-and everyone is so worried, mum won't leave the house and dad's taken time off work. James is half mad with fear, he's got it into his head she's been kidnapped or something and he's interrogating anyone who looks vaguely dodgy."

Scorpius tipped his head back and took a big mouthful of wonderful alcohol that burned down his throat. "Don't think you can tell if someone's a criminal by looking at them," he said, wiping his mouth neatly on his napkin.

"That's what I keep saying," Al said, staring gloomily into his firewhiskey, "I keep telling them she'll be back. She sent us that owl saying she was fine and just wanted space, but they don't listen. I know her though, she'll be back soon and she and Lorcan will be back on track. It'll work out okay."

Despite his words, Al looked worried. Scorpius thumped his friend's shoulder and muttered something indistinct before gesturing to the barman for more drinks.

"No," Al said when he brought over two more whiskies, "I've got to get back."

"But we've only been here half an hour and you spent the whole time talking about Lily," Scorpius whined.

"I know, I'm sorry, but I promised Anna I'd be back for half seven."

Scorpius had known Anna was going to ruin everything from the first time he met her as Al's official girlfriend. Al couldn't understand Scorpius' hatred towards his now-wife, he never appreciated the explanation that Slytherins just didn't like other Slytherins. Just because stupid Ravenclaws all got on so well.

"Oh, don't be like that, Scorp. How about we go for a drink tomorrow?" Al said, catching sight of Scorpius' face.

Scorpius sniffed, turned back to his drink and said coolly, "I work late on Fridays."

"Well next week then? Come on, Scorp, I won't talk about Lily or Anna and we'll get so pissed we'll still be drunk when we wake up the next day. Come on, you know you want to-"

"Fine. But only to shut you up."

"_Sure_."

Al apparated with a crack, missing Scorpius' burning glare. Scorpius gave the air the finger. He drank both of the drinks before he realised Al had left him to pay, swore loudly and paid reluctantly. He wandered outside slowly, not sure what to do now, it was only eight and he didn't feel like spending the evening alone. He felt for the letter in his pocket. He'd gotten it a few months back and it told him that Jen had a new roommate who would be happy to entertain "Benjamin". So far he hadn't gone to see her, but since he had nothing to do…

She was leaning again Jen's normal wall, all long legs and pale skin that shone in lamp light. He couldn't see her face as short, choppy blonde hair covered it, but with a body like that one didn't need a pretty face.

"Hello," he called, cheering up already.

"Evening," she said. Her voice wasn't the low, husky sort Scorpius was used to. It was high and sweet as a child's. Scorpius decided thinking of children right then wasn't appropriate.

"Are you Jen's friend, then?"

"That's me." The woman finally looked up.

Scorpius froze. Two bright blue eyes stared at him from a pale, oval face and thin lips parted in horror. He might not notice her much, but Scorpius recognised Lily Potter at once. He grinned slowly.

This was certainly _not_ boring.

* * *

_This is not the sort of thing I normally write, so please leave me a review and tell me what you think :) _


	2. Chapter 2

For the _Not For The Faint of Heart Competition _and _Uncommon Pairing Multichapter Competition _on the_ HPFC Forum _

Description: After a marriage proposal from Lorcan Scamander, Lily Luna decides to run away and leave her family behind, thinking she can make it on her own. Six months later Scorpius Malfoy finds her, selling her body on the street.

Rating: T-M

_Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter, but I bought some new peanut butter, so that's something. _

_**Warning: Prostitution.**_

* * *

Lily stared at Scorpius. He was no longer shocked, but looked at her with a mix of curiosity, incredulity and amusement.

"So, one of Jen's _friends _are you?" he said again, his voice smooth and mocking.

Her face burned, but six months of dealing with men worse than Scorpius Malfoy had taught her something. She stood up to her full height and met his eyes confidently.

"I am. And, if you promise not to tell anyone, you can be my friend too, no charge."

She kept her tone business-like, letting a hint of flirtatiousness appear right at the end, giving him that smile Jen had taught her. But to her consternation, Scorpius _laughed_. He went on laughing as if he would never stop. He laughed so hard he doubled over and tears ran down his face.

"Oh, God," he said finally, "I can't believe you just did that." He began laughing again.

"Stop_ laughing _at me!"

To her surprise, Scorpius did stop, although his eyes sparkled with humour. "So how did this happen, then?" he said.

"Why do you care?" she muttered, slumping against the wall.

"Curiosity," he said.

Lily sighed, but said, "I've decided to take a break from my family. I going to show them I can make it on my own."

"Being a prostitute?"

She flinched. "That wasn't the plan, that just happened. I'm just doing this long enough to get enough money to go through healer training."

"Surely your parents with pay for that. From what I hear they've been pushing you towards that all your life, and the Potter vault-"

"I don't care about the Potter vault!" she said standing up again, "I told you, I'm making it on my own. My money, my training, _my life. _I'm going to be more than just another damn _Potter_!"

Scorpius didn't laugh this time. Lily thought she saw something in his face that looked suspiciously like compassion, but it was gone too quickly for her to be sure.

"You couldn't have come up with something a little more… proper? Being a waitress didn't appeal to you?" he said.

"This was the easiest option, and Jen was very convincing…" Her voice trailed off and her insides withered with humiliation at the look of scorn her sent her. Of course Scorpius didn't know what it was like to be so easily swayed, to want to please other people. He didn't care about anyone but himself.

"So what now?" she said finally.

He shrugged. "I don't care what you do. I'm going home, though."

He began to walk away, but she grabbed his arm. "You won't- You won't _tell _anyone, will you?"

He looked at her for a long moment, then slowly shook his head. "No. Like I said, I don't care what you do."

He apparated with a crack, leaving Lily alone. She glanced at her watch and bit back a groan when she saw it was only half-eight. Jen had said she had to stay out here until ten, unless she had a client. She thought about going to a pub, but realised she couldn't risk being identified. It was safe enough here, no men she knew would pay for sex.

At least, she'd thought so until then. Her thoughts drifted back to Scorpius, and she wondered if he came to Jen often. It made her feel a bit sick, if she was honest. She had judged the men who came to her, they were disgusting and she hated the lot of them. Then how did Scorpius fit in? He was a sarcastic, arrogant, selfish man, but she had never thought him to be… what? What was he? What were the men that came to her? She didn't know them, or try to get to know them. She had no idea what they were like, or what Scorpius was like.

She was jolted out of her thoughts by a loud crack. A tall man with thick black curls and a grey goatee was coming towards her. She leant casually back against the wall and smiled flirtatiously at him, trying her best not to cry.

OoO

Once he was home, Scorpius didn't feel like laughing. Lily Potter was a prostitute. And he had done nothing about it. But what could he do? It was none of his business and he didn't care. He didn't.

He shook himself and forced his brain to focus on the task at hand: cooking dinner. As he made it, he couldn't help wondering what Lily was eating tonight, _if _she was eating at all. He found himself asking about her in the letter he wrote to Rose, then crossing it out until the paper ripped beneath his pen. He even managed to bring her up in the conversation with his mother when she called.

"You know, Lily Potter is still missing. Albus is really worried about her."

Astoria looked disdainful. "I always knew one of those Weasley-Potter children was going to get into trouble. There are too many of them, that's the problem."

He thought about Lily when he changed into his pyjamas, and she insisted on keeping him awake until the early hours of the morning. Why was she doing it? It couldn't be as simple as wanting to please Jen, so _why_?

He woke up late, feeling sluggish and out of sorts. A shower did wonders to liven him up, but once his mind was working again all he seemed to be able to think about was her.

It isn't your problem, he told himself as he stepped into a lift at work. A short woman with unnaturally still curls and too much lipstick gave him a wary look, and he wondered if he'd spoken aloud, or if he looked too much like his father with his hair pulled back as it was.

When he arrived at his office Percival was already there, which wasn't surprising, and the Head Auror was standing beside him, which was surprising. Ron Weasley was holding a brown folder, and his face was graver than Scorpius had ever seen it.

"Malfoy, you're late," he snapped. Scorpius hid a wince; Ron hadn't spoken to him like that since his first year of Hogwarts, and he knew very well that Scorpius worked longer hours than any other Auror, more than enough to make up for a couple minutes tardiness. Whatever was in that file was not good.

"My apologies, sir," he said respectfully, removing his cloak and hanging it up before turning to the two men. "What's going on?"

Ron's jaw clenched, "Serial killer, five victims in the past three months."

"Why are we just finding this out now?" Scorpius said, taking the pitifully thin file and opening it.

"Wanted to keep it out of the papers. I gave it to our best pair…"

Scoprius glanced down the victims' names and froze. _Gwendolyn Lee, Tony Smith, Anne Saunders, Elliot Finnegan and Tracey Finnegan._

"Elliot and Tracey…"

"We got the news of their deaths last night," Ron said, his voice hard, "We believe they were close to the killer, who wanted to keep them quiet, so I would like you to focus on the first three victims. What they have in common, etcetera."

"Wait, we've got the case? That means we're the best team now."

Ron looked like he was restraining himself from throwing something at Percival. Scorpius held his breath hopefully, but after a moment his boss turned back to him. He bit back a sigh and flipped through the rest of the pages in the file.

"There's nothing here about the first three victims," he said.

"No. The file was found this morning in Elliot's draw, completely empty."

"Don't we have copies-"

"All destroyed."

"An inside job then."

Ron sighed heavily. "I hate to say it, hate to think anyone here could do that to- to them, but yes, all signs point to an inside job. That's why nobody knows you've got the case, and I'd like to keep it that way." He caught Scorpius' eye, nodded once and walked out.

Scorpius leant against his desk and looked through the file again. Percival watched him, completely serious now, waiting for instructions.

"I'll going to get Mary to call up the families of all the victims, including the Finnigans, and set up interviews as soon as possible," he said finally, "You go through this and sort it out."

"What's wrong with it?" Percival said, taking the file and flipping through.

"It's disordered. Rewrite it neatly."

Percival sighed heavily, but sat down at his desk and began to look through it carefully. Leaving him to it, Scorpius went to the small office opposite theirs and knocked lightly before poking his head in. Prim, severe Mary Hopkins was talking angrily to a bobbing head in her fire. Scorpius grinned despite himself; he greatly admired Mary's talent of being able to talk angrily in a very sweet, sugary way that made her listeners cringe.

"-understand, Mr Potter, that I simply _can't _disturb such _talented _Aurors, for a call of a personal nature."

Albus' chastened face nodded and disappeared. Mary turned when she heard laughter behind her and pinched her lips together when she saw Scorpius standing in the doorway.

"You've got to be the only person in the world who can resist the Potter charm, Mary," he said between his chuckles.

"Auror Malfoy, sir, I'd appreciate it if you'd tell your friends not to call during work hours and ask me to interrupt your very important work," she said crisply, sitting behind her desk and gesturing for him to take the chair opposite her. "Now, what can I do for you?"

He became serious again and sat down with a sigh, waving his wand at the door so that it closed behind them. A soft humming started up as the automatic silencing charm became effective. "Tracey and Elliot were found dead last night," he said quietly.

She closed her eyes briefly and nodded. "Yes, I know. Everyone knows. I'm so sorry, Scorpius."

He smiled grimly at her slip. "Thank you. I take it you don't know how they were killed."

"No. The rumour is they were murdered. But who would do that?"

"We believe they were killed by a serial killer they'd been tracking for three months, or somebody connected with them. All the records have been destroyed, so we're thinking- we think either the killer has somebody on the inside, or somebody in this department is- _is _the killer. The case had been passed to Percival and I, you understand the need for discretion, yes?"

"Of course. I won't tell a soul," she said, blinking away tears from her warm brown eyes.

"Good." He leant back in the comfortable leather chair and crossed his arms. "Percival has the list of victims, you can get it from him in a moment, and I'd like you to set up meetings with their families as soon as possible. Tomorrow, if you can. However-" he hesitated slightly, "I think it would be wise not to tell the families that we're starting from scratch. They've probably been interviewed before, and it won't be comforting to know we can't even protect that information. Just tell them we need to go over the information they've already provided once more, to make sure we haven't missed anything."

"I understand, sir. Don't you worry about a thing." She patted his hand comfortingly, proof of how shaken up she was.

Scorpius felt bad for his grim secretary, she hid a good heart behind her grim character. "Afterwards, why not take Monday off. I still feel that you should have more than just one day a week-"

"Don't be silly," she said, pulling her hand away, "I take off Sunday because it is the Lord's day, but I do not need any more holiday than that. I could not sleep comfortably if I knew a young lad like you was working while I was not any day but Sunday."

She pulled a newspaper out of her draw and began to fill in the crossword. Knowing he was dismissed, Scorpius left her office and apparated up to the Department of Magical Games and Sports. Rose was waiting for him, leaning against her desk and tapping her foot impatiently. The moment she saw him he was enveloped in a warm, strawberry-scented hug.

"I heard about Elliot and Tracey. I'm so sorry, dear."

"It's fine," he said, pushing her away and avoiding her eyes that were probably- yep, wet with tears.

She bit her lip and jiggled on the spot for a moment. "Do you want to go down to the canteen? It's Pie Friday. I bet Hugo could use some cheering up."

He felt a pang of guilt; he hadn't even thought about Hugo, who had been Elliot's best friend and roommate. She called down to the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magic Creatures, then the two of them went down to the canteen and sat at their favourite table by the window. Today they looked out on grassy fields full of sheep and separated by low stone walls.

"Here." Hugo slumped in the chair next to Scorpius, pushing a plate of pie towards him. He dug in immediately, the sweet, sugary pastry and tart apple doing wonders to distract him from the red blotches on Hugo's face and his wet lashes.

"Oh, Hugo," Rose said, taking his hand, "I- I don't know what to say. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

"S'alright, Rosie," he murmured shakily, "I mean, it's not _alright_, but there's nothing you can do."

"Why don't you go home?" she said gently, "Thomas wouldn't mind."

"I'd rather be anywhere else right now. Work's good. Keeps my mind off things." He stabbed at his pie viciously

Rose looked meaningfully at Scorpius, who rolled his eyes before turning to Hugo. "I'm really sorry, mate," he said, thumping him on the back.

Rose glared, but Hugo smiled wanly. "Thanks. I'm sorry too; you worked with Elliot and Trace."

"Yeh. Well." Scorpius shoved his remaining pie into his mouth, not even caring when crumbs sprayed from his lips to Rose's blouse, and got up.

"Where are you going?" she said.

"I've got work to do."

He ignored her worried-angry frown and apparated back to his office. Rough sobs greeted him. Percival held his head in his hands, his shoulders shaking and tears dripping through his fingers onto the surface of his desk. He jumped at the crack of apparition and looked up, swiping savagely at his eyes but unable to stop more tears leaking out.

Scorpius went silently to his own desk where the newly written file was waiting and flipped through it. "Your hand writing is atrocious," he said.

Percival made a strange noise, somewhere between a laugh and a hiccup, and stood up. "You know what, Malfoy? You can be a real wanker sometimes," he said.

"You can talk."

He looked at Scorpius for a moment, then shook his head and left the office. Scorpius was relieved. He took out a fresh sheet of parchment and began to rewrite what Percival had written, making his own notes in a margin.

Percival didn't come back until the end of the day, passing by Scorpius on his way out. He didn't acknowledge Scorpius' farewell, but the man barely noticed. He'd been thinking about it all afternoon. It was the perfect plan really, he wanted answers and it would shut up his conscience. He pulled on his cloak and apparated to Godric's Hollow.

* * *

_Just want to mention that the chapters in this story will be quite short, probably no longer than this one since I have to upload every two weeks to stay in the competition and it takes me longer than that to write a really good long chapter. Please review :3 _


	3. Chapter 3

For the _Not For The Faint of Heart Competition _and _Uncommon Pairing Multichapter Competition _on the_ HPFC Forum_

Description: After a marriage proposal from Lorcan Scamander, Lily Luna decided to run away and leave her family behind, thinking she can make it on her own. Six months later Scorpius Malfoy finds her, selling her body on the street.

Rating: T-M

_Disclaimer: If I owned Harry Potter next-gen would have their own series of books. Because they're _that_ awesome. _

_**Warning: Prostitution.**_

* * *

It was Lily who answered the door, her pink pyjamas crumpled and blonde hair sticking up on one side. She blinked owlishly at him for a few seconds, before stepping back with a sigh. Scorpius grinned and stepped into the narrow hallway, making his way to the kitchen without being asked. The house was solemn and bare as a tomb. It reminded Scorpius of The Manor.

"Do you want some tea?" Lily said sleepily.

"Yes, thanks. Three sugars and milk."

She stared at him incredulously. "_Three _sugars."

"I like sugar."

Five minutes later they were drinking tea and nibbling shortbread. Lily broke the silence, she said, "What can I do for you, then?"

"I'd like to discuss a business proposition," he said.

"A- A business proposition?"

"Yes. I'd like you to stay at mine for the night."

She looked a little sick. "Stay at yours? I- I can't. I'm sorry-"

"Don't apologise. I don't mean it like you think. I don't want to sleep with you, merely to invite you to spend a night in my spare room. To get you out of this place."

"Oh. Then, sure. But why?"

"Curiosity. Don't flatter yourself thinking otherwise."

Lily looked like she was hiding a smirk and her eyes were sparkling. "Of course not.

"And it's only for one night mind."

"I wouldn't dare to presume otherwise."

She was definitely trying not to laugh. Scorpius suddenly wished she wasn't looking at him quite so directly. He took a drink of tea and finished his biscuit.

"I need to be going. Work. Thank you for the tea and biscuits."

"Okay. Should I meet you somewhere tonight…?"

"Yes. Just come to my apartment whenever you're ready. Here's a key, and I'll write down the address. Make yourself comfortable, but don't go into my room-"

"Of course not-"

"I might be home late. Goodbye."

But Scorpius was not late home. In fact he found himself leaving work almost three hours earlier than usual. Lily appeared at the door just as he opened it, face flushed and smiling brightly. She looked very pretty.

"I made some dinner. I was going to leave yours in the microwave, but now you're here you can eat with me."

Scorpius followed her in silently and was immediately hit with the smell of burnt food. He looked at the charred meat on the plate she handed him for a moment then stood up and threw the whole thing in the bin.

"I know it's a bit overdone, but it wasn't that bad," she said.

He felt slightly bad for the glimmer of hurt in her eyes, but brushed it off. "It was. It was terrible. Have you ever even cooked before?"

"Not really. Mum tried to teach me when I was little, but I could never be bothered to learn properly and I always got distracted and burnt something. Once I almost burnt the house down," she said, as if burning the house down was an accomplishment. "Do you cook?"

"Yes, but I can't be bothered right now. We'll call the Chinese."

"I don't believe you," Lily said with a laugh, tipping her food into the bin. "You probably haven't cooked a day in your life."

Scorpius ignored her and called the Chinese. When he put the phone down she was sitting on the counter, swinging her legs back and forth.

"So," she said, "What do you normally do all evening?"

"Work."

She didn't look surprised. "That's kind of sad, you know."

He shrugged. "What do you do?"

"This and that. I play a lot."

"What do you play?"

"Piano."

"Maybe you'll play for me sometime?"

"Maybe I will, if you're lucky," she said, smirking playfully.

Scorpius leant against the counter opposite and grinned. "Do you play as well as you boast?"

"Better."

He was about to reply when a knock at the door interrupted them.

"That'll be the Chinese," he said.

"Really? That was quick."

"The shop is just around the corner and I'm a frequent customer," he said, carefully counting out some muggle money. "Means I get special treatment."

"Knew you couldn't cook."

Scorpius ignored her and paid the delivery girl. Tall, plump, nice smile, short black hair. Her name tag read Evelyn. He catalogued the name for future reference.

"You're such a cad," Lily said when he shut the door.

"I barely spoke to her," he said.

"You were thinking it. I could tell. Oh wow, that smells gorgeous. Gimme." She reached out her hands for the bag of prawn crackers. He threw them to her and began serving out the rest. They ate mainly in silence, broken only by Lily's occasional noisesof delight as she ate. She actually _moaned _when she found a particularly nice piece of duck.

He watched her as he ate his with the indifference of a frequent customer. This Lily, this relaxed, almost flirtatious Lily was new to him. Not a shy little mouse. Maybe she'd never been. He found himself not really caring so much about the questions that had been spinning around his head all day. It was much more interesting to watch her. And wasn't that a disturbing thought.

He got up and said, "I'm going to bed."

"Alright," she said, "I probably won't go for a while; I've got used to sleeping in the day. Do you mind if I take a shower?"

He said that he didn't and locked himself in his room. The shower started up. The door opened and closed. Lily would be in there now. Surrounded by steam. Water running down her naked- He caught himself, but not quite in time. _Albus' sister_, he chided himself, trying very hard not to think of Lily's legs. Her breasts. Her- He flopped on the bed and groaned.

After an expectedly disturbed night and a refreshing shower that most certainly _did not include many thoughts of Lily in the same shower the night before_, Scorpius felt he had control of himself again. He made breakfast for two and hoped Lily would wake up and eat with him. How else would he ask the questions he wanted to ask?

However she didn't appear until a few minutes before he absolutely _had _to leave, lest he be late two days in a row. She barely noticed him, stumbling to the bathroom without so much as a Good Morning. He tapped his foot impatiently.

"Morning," he said, when she was finished.

She mumbled something indistinct and sniffed the coffee pot suspiciously.

"I need to go to work, but I was hoping I could ask you a few things first."

"Can't you ask me to- to- tonight," she said through a yawn.

"You'll be gone by tonight."

She looked surprised, then sighed quietly. "Of course. Why did I expect anything else?"

"I don't know."

"It was a rhetorical question."

"Can I ask you or-"

"YOU'RE GOING TO BE LATE!"

Lily jumped and spilt coffee down her pyjamas. "What was that?" she said.

"My watch." Scorpius frowned the angry red face that was preparing to shout again. Of course it would choose this morning to work properly. "I have to go."

"I thought you wanted to ask me questions."

"I don't have time. Later maybe. Be gone by tonight, please. Goodbye."

Scorpius left, pretending the pang in his chest was simply curiosity unsatisfied.

* * *

_To say that I'm unsatisfied with this chapter is an understatement. But it had to be up today, so apologies if I just wrecked the story :3_


End file.
